On Writing - 2 -

So, my afternoon of 2,000+ words didn't go so hot. In fact I only did about 200, but after a solid night's sleep aided by some NyQuil, I think I've got the juices flowing a bit again.

I used to be very, very good at multitasking, and even though I am not so much anymore, I can usually get by focusing on a few things at once--except for writing. When I write, I only need to have my pad and pen before me, and my music. Sometimes I put on a movie in the background--Netflix, a Family Guy rerun, whatever--but usually it's me and my music.

I had said in my previous entry about writing that I can't seem to pull away from a very visual world; that I take an image in mind and run with it, that the desire to sort of thrust myself into really beautiful, natural places is what I want to describe and mentally be part of. But I also said that I have that one image, and that image only, and when I go off the beaten path, it's a blank canvas, and I let the words flow.

But that's where the music comes in. I don't claim to be "good with music"--that is, I listen to pretty mainstream, whatever's-on-the-radio music, and I have a penchant for rap in general. But that's because I have one other arena of music that I focus on dearly, that I do spend time scourging the Internet for, and that's scores: movies, television, video games, you name it. I have hour and hours of wordless melodies and medleys, of melody-driven tunes and more atmospheric songs.

Whenever I sit down to write, I make sure I have a playlist of songs that help me to get in the mood of my writing. That way, when I turn the corner from that image, I still have the atmosphere around me. I might not be able to see the new floor of the building, the new lay of the land, but with the music surrounding me, and with it pushing me forward, it slowly spills out of my mind's eye and onto the paper, and I can go forth.

When I have ridiculous fantasies of winning awards--New York Times #1 Bestseller, trip to the Academy Awards, winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay--whatever your mind is capable of doing to you--I ultimately end up thinking that, if I ever had a story made into a movie, or a television show, or whatever, that the music would be one of the most important aspects of that artistic journey. Howard Shore and Mark Mancina and Alexandre Desplat and Joe Hisaishi have made music for characters and settings that I've wrenched from their worlds and put into my own. But one day I hope, if ever any of that came true, the music produced for it would be just as inspiring, just as beautiful, just as emotional, as the scores produced for the great stories of our time.

Some writers meet the page with nothing but a pen or pencil. Some go at it with a pad filled with notes, backstory, tidbits of inspiration; others keep their very full binders of character profiles, setting descriptions, backstory files, diagram and dialogue breakdowns right next to them.

The very first thing I do after I've sat down is put on that playlist. Sometimes the music, at least for me, does much more for inspiration and information than anything else.